Coat of arms of Latvia
| Coat of Arms of Latvia | |
|---|---|
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| Details | |
| Armiger | Republic of Latvia |
| Adopted | July 15, 1921 |
| Crest | An arc of three mullets Or |
| Escutcheon | Per fess and in base per pale: 1st Azure, a demi-sun issuing from base Or; 2nd Argent, a lion rampant contourné Gules; 3rd Gules, a gryphon segreant brandishing in the dexter claw a sword Argent. |
| Supporters | Dexter, a lion rampant Gules, and sinister, a griffin segreant Argent; both langued Or |
| Compartment | Two oak branches fructed Vert tied together by a ribbon Sanguine charged with a bar Argent |
Coat of arms of Republic of Latvia was officially adopted by the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia on July 15, 1921 and was in official use from August 19, 1921. It was created using new national symbols and older heraldic elements from Polish Livonia and Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. Thus the coat of arms combines symbols of Latvian national statehood, as well as symbols of its ancient historical districts. The Latvian national coat of arms was designed by the Latvian artist Rihards Zariņš.
The three golden stars above the Field represent three historical provinces: Vidzeme (Swedish Livonia), Latgale (Polish Livonia) and Kurzeme-Zemgale (Duchy of Courland and Semigalia).
The golden Sun in the Field represents the Sun of freedom. Sun symbol was used as a symbol of distinction and national identity by the Imperial Russian Army's Latvian Riflemen units during World War I. During the war, the Sun was fashioned with 17 rays that symbolized the 17 Latvian inhabited districts.
The bottom part of Escutcheon is divided into two fieds where the red lion of Courland represents Kurzeme and Zemgale while the silver griffin of Polish Livionia represents Vidzeme and Latgale. The red lion and silver griffin are also used as Supporters.
Base of the coat of arms is decorated with the branches of an oak tree, Quercus robur, which is one of Latvian national symbols.
Historical regions were characterized by older heraldic figures, which already appeared in the 16th century. Courland and Semigalia (Western Latvia) are symbolized by a red lion, which appears as early as 1569 in the coat of arms of the former Duke of Courland and Semigalia.
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